Kyveli is 6 months old!

How on earth is my tiny little baby already 6 months old? I've been feeling extra nostalgic lately, since Kyveli is becoming more like a kid and less like a baby every day. A few of my friends have had babies in the last few weeks, with several more due in the next few weeks and months, and I can't help but picture myself in their place, meeting their sweet little ones for the first time and enjoying all those wonderful first moments. But at the end of the day, when I'm putting her to bed for the night, I'm reminded how much of a baby she still is when she curls up in my arms, collapsing like a sweet, sleepy little sack of potatoes. At the same time, I marvel at the fact that in the same amount of time that she's been here from now, we'll be celebrating her first birthday, and likely experiencing her first words and steps. We're just so happy to have this little sweetie in our lives. Here are some of the highlights from her 6-month photos:








Dear Kyva,

You are 6 months old! This has been a big month full of firsts, and as a result this may be the longest blog update in history. But before I get to the 'firsts', you also had a pretty cool 'second'...your second camping trip! We took you on the annual camping/rafting trip to Camp Lotus, where daddy has been going almost every year since he was your age with his daddy, Grandpa Terry, and a bunch of the local Sonoma County characters. It was quite the gathering with Auntie Heather and Uncle Brian, along with your cousins Shasta and Jevria, Inyo and Nicole with baby NiYo happily baking away, to name just a few...Shenoa and Dan even came along. During the day, daddy went rafting and/or kayaking and/or floating down the river on an old air mattress, and mommy stayed back at camp to take care of you since you're still too little to join in the fun on the water (maybe next year). It was my first time at Camp Lotus too, and I have to say that it was just my kind of camping, with free hot showers and bathrooms with running water. It got pretty hot during the day, so at one point Nicole and I dragged our camp chairs into the river and sat there with our feet in the water watching the river life pass by. Not too shabby!

Here's daddy in the kayak and after a long, hard day at the office:



We had lots of fun in the tent in the morning:




You took your morning naps in the Moby wrap:


We discovered that you take after daddy in more than just the looks department (ok, you might have gotten some of this from mommy too):



As for those 'firsts', we took you on your first flight, a trip up to Oregon where mommy grew up, and you did great! We were nervous that we would be "that family" on the plane with the screaming baby. Making matters worse was that our flight was delayed by nearly 2 hours. This meant that instead of arriving in Portland by your bedtime, we were barely leaving San Jose by bedtime. You tend to get cranky when you're tired, so it could have been an ugly affair. But as usual, you were happy as a clam and even managed to make a few new friends with your big happy smiles. I took the advice of friends and nursed you during takeoff and landing so that your ears would adjust to the change in pressure, and we gave you your pacifier in between just in case. You were so relaxed during descent that you fell sound asleep, and slept all the way through deboarding, baggage claim, car rental, carseat installation, and the drive to Robin and Garrett's place halfway across town. Here are a couple of pictures of you during your first flight:



You further wowed us with your flexible nature when we completely threw off your routine for 8 whole days, sleeping in no fewer than 3 different places, and you had no complaints whatsoever. We packed a lot of fun things into those 8 days.

Garrett made one of his famous breakfasts the morning after we arrived. We had a great time catching up over the huge, yummy feast and a few mimosas. Adeline and Bruce came over (it was Adeline's first time meeting you and we were very excited to introduce you to her):


...as did Megan and Todd, with Halen and Flora Mae (who is 11 days younger than you).




A trip to Silver Falls, one of mommy's favorite places. We had grand ambitions of hiking the entire loop, but we got a late start and only had time to see South Falls:




...later that same day, we squeezed in a visit with Adeline's parents, Bob and Bonnie. They came to visit us when you were 3 weeks old during their California road trip, and were amazed at how much you had changed since then. Adeline's oldest sister, Elina, also stopped by to say hello:


...a stay at Grandma Renee's house. She loved getting to spend so much time with you and even wore you in the Moby wrap for one of your naps. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more:


...While we were there, auntie Leanne surprised us by stopping by with Tabor, your very first cousin on mommy's side of the family!



...we took a trip to the Oregon coast, where your mommy lived when she was a little girl:



...and saw some pretty sweet sea lions:

Sea lion #1: "hey, is that your bukkit over there?"
Sea lion #2: "whaaa...?"
Sea lion #1: "made you look!"


...a nice visit with Yiayia, your Great-Grandma. Yiayia is 93 and just as sharp as ever. She was really looking forward to your arrival (you're her 5th great-grandchild!), and I'm so happy you had the chance to meet her. It's too bad you're too little to taste some of her cooking...she's the best there is!





...then, the reason (or rather, the excuse) for taking the trip: Robin and Garrett's beautiful wedding! I'm so happy they found eachother...I would never have guessed it, but they're just perfect for eachother. Check out the look on Garrett's face as he watched Robin walk down the aisle:


...can you blame him? She's spectacular!


(previous two photos by Todd Fleming)

...Your auntie Marisa arrived fashionably late to the wedding due to a last-minute work thing. She had just returned from Southern California where she was visiting her newest niece and nephew on her dad's side, born within a couple of months of eachother. It's been a bumper year for her! She hadn't seen you since you were 3 weeks old and just loved you up:




...Your auntie Madylan was also super excited to see you again after many months. She just celebrated her 18th birthday. I can't believe it!!! It seems like only yesterday that SHE was the lap-baby.


...Zack, Jess and Alexis were sweet enough to let us stay at their house for the last few days of our trip. We were so happy to see them again, as well as Irene, who was visiting from Hawaii for the wedding as well. I hope she doesn't hate me for posting this picture of the two of you:



...then, on the day we had to leave, we squeezed in one last visit with Sarah, Adeline and Bruce. They took us to a local pub that had a fantastic menu, including tater tot nachos, or "totchos":




...and then, sadly, we had to return home. We barely made it to the gate in time to board! But board we did, and you had another incident-free flight (despite a very close brush with a major blowout).


After we got home, I noticed that my milk supply had dropped a bit. I assume it was because we did so much running around, and because I hadn't always remembered to eat enough food or drink enough water, not to mention get enough sleep (even the small amount that you've accustomed me to). But fortunately, after being home for a few days and taking really good care of myself, plus a batch of lactation cookies, we were back up to normal and maybe even a bit more.

Another exciting milestone this month was that you began sitting up without support! One week you were still a little tripod who had to hold herself up, and the next week you could really do it! Now it's your favorite thing to do and you like to sit up every chance you get. I think you really like the new perspective on things.



Last week your buddy Jane came over to spend the day with us and we all had a blast! She'll be here on the days that her regular daycare person isn't available to take care of her. Jane and her mommies, Coco and Louisa, have become great friends of ours and we love spending time with them. We're planning to go camping with them in a couple of weeks, which should be a whole lot of fun. You two had a great time playing together all day.



Notice the hand-holding:


After Jane left, you were so tuckered out from all the playing that you took your first ever nap IN YOUR CRIB! So it's not just an overpriced storage bin after all!



Phew...what a busy month! I love you, Kyveli, and I'm so happy you're mine.

Love,
Mommy

Our little chatterbox

Kyveli is 5 months old!

I realized a couple of weeks ago when I got Kyva's week 20 update email from Babycenter.com that she's now been an outside baby for half as long as shespent as an inside baby. I remember like it was yesterday that morning when Kailen and I were carpooling to work together and I told him that day marked the halfway point in my second trimester. His response: "...so wouldn't that mean that you're, uh, halfway through the pregnancy now?" Why yes, it would - though it honestly hadn't occurred to me until that point! Here are some updated photos of our little Kyva:




Get a load of these eyelashes:


Look - I can grab my toes!

I shall now eeet you!

NOM NOM NOM

Extreme closeup:


Dear Kyva,

Happy 5th month, little sweetie! We've all been busy, busy, busy this month. First things first - your new stats! You had your 4-month checkup a couple of weeks ago and you weighed 14lbs, 4oz (exactly double your birth weight), you're now 24.75" tall (up nearly 6" from birth) and your head circumference is now 16.25" (a full 3" bigger than it started)! I weighed you again last week at our new moms' group and you've already gained another pound. We had to delay your shots until a few days after your appointment so that your pediatrician could check to make sure the reaction you had to your last shots was normal, which it was. You did MUCH better this time since we gave you Tylenol an hour beforehand instead of waiting to see if you needed it. You were a little fussy later that day and the next day, but overall you handled it like a champ. What a relief!

You're so much fun to be around these days. In addition to squealing like last month, you've just started babbling and making consonant sounds. You love going "yayayaya", usually with a finger or two stuck in your mouth. You laugh a lot and seem to be enjoying us as much as we are enjoying you. It's really fun watching your individual personality and sense of humor emerge. You reach for anything that passes by and your aim is getting much better. Sometimes when we pick you up, you reach for our necks with both arms and it's like getting a little hug from you. Even though you probably don't know what you're doing yet, I try to convince myself that these hugs are intentional! You've got a tooth coming in, too. Right now it looks like a little white spot on your lower right gums, and it feels like a sharp little bump. You're a drool machine and have been putting everything in your mouth. Then once it gets in there, you shake your head from side to side like you're going to rip it to pieces! I hope your first little toothie doesn't cause you too much discomfort when it pops through. You'll be so cute with one bottom tooth!

Can you see my tooth-to-be?


In other exciting news, we took you on your first camping trip a couple of weeks ago for Shenoa's birthday! Your mommy and daddy are big campers and love spending time outdooors. Daddy proposed to mommy during a fabulous camping trip for two in Death Valley. We even registered for wedding gifts at REI, and thanks to some very generous friends and family members, we now have nice camping gear that we like to use as often as possible. We were excited to take you on your first camping trip and hoped that you'd like it as much as we do. You sure did! You loved looking up at the trees and sky and you charmed all of our friends who came along with your smiles and squeals (not to mention your adorable snowsuits that we were happy you got a chance to wear). You slept great in our cozy tent and our friends didn't hear a peep out of you at night even though their tents were within inches of ours. Not so with the other baby all the way across the campground, *ahem*. The only drawback was that mommy didn't sleep very well since I was constantly checking to make sure you weren't too cold or that the sleeping bag wasn't covering your face. But fortunately for us all, mommy has gotten used to getting by on very little sleep so it wasn't much of an issue. We can't wait to take you on your second camping trip in a few days and hope that it will go just as well. Here's a video of our very happy little camper:



The other big goings on lately involve mommy's work situation. I had been planning to take your first six months off so I could be home with you and devote my full attention to caring for you, but the closer that mark came, the sadder I got and the more unprepared I felt to leave you in the care of someone else. Your daddy and I talked and talked about it and decided that I should extend my leave of absence by an additional 6 months, making a full year that I could be home with you. I agonized over this decision, since I really didn't want to leave my coworkers in a bad spot. But, as you'll probably find out when you take a history class in high school, we are currently in the midst of a major economic downturn, and employers are laying off employees in droves right now. Rather optimistically, I thought that maybe, just maybe, by extending my leave I could be doing the rest of my coworkers a favor. So I bit the bullet and had "the talk" with my office manager. I was very relieved when she said that they had planned to call me anyway to suggest the same arrangement! So your mommy is very happy to announce that she is a stay-at-home-mom for the time being. It feels like the right decision for our little family, even though it means we won't be able to buy you everything we'd like to. I'm sure we'll manage just fine.

In a couple of weeks we'll be taking you on your first airplane trip when we go up to Oregon for Robin and Garrett's wedding. I've gotten lots of great tips for ways to make the flight more comfortable for you so hopefully it won't be traumatic for any of us (or those seated around us). It will be great to see some people again, and to introduce you to other people for the very first time. I know they're all looking forward to seeing you, too! I'll make sure to write all about this adventure in next month's letter. Until then!

Love,
Mommy

She laughs!

We've gotten a few scattered giggles out of her here and there, but this past Saturday was the first time she had a true attack of belly laughs and we managed to get it on camera! I thought I'd share because, well, who doesn't love a laughing baby? Enjoy!

Kyveli is 4 months old!

Can we just stop time already? I know I say it every month, but I'm going to say it again and I doubt it will be the last time...I can't believe how quickly the time is passing, and how quickly Kyva is growing and changing. A couple of weeks ago I met a nice new mommy friend who had a 6-day-old baby boy who was the same size as Kyva when she was born. He seemed so tiny! It's hard for me to remember my own little sweetie being that little, even though I know she was. And this is just the beginning...I don't even want to think about how I'll feel when I'm watching her graduate from high school, or holding her own little sweetie.

Here are just some of the photos from her 4-month shoot. Is it just me, or does the number of photos grow each month? I can't seem to narrow them down any further. I hope you don't mind ;^)







Is it just me or does it look like she took this one herself for her Myspace page? She was grabbing the camera cord.


And the best part - the chubby thighs that I love to grab!


Dear Kyva,

I can't believe you are already 4 months old. How is that even possible? It seems like you just joined us, yet I hardly remember and can't imagine life before you were around. I think you had your 3-month growth spurt a couple of weeks ago, since you just wanted to nurse, nurse, nurse all the time and were extra fussy for a few days. I weighed you last week and you weighed 13lbs9oz (up over 2 pounds in just a few weeks), so you've definitely been busy growing up a storm. Your 4-month checkup is next week and I'm looking forward to finding out your new stats, though I'm most definitely NOT looking forward to the shots you'll receive then, especially after last time. We may need to skip one of them due to a possible allergic reaction, which after talking to your Grandma Renee, I learned that I also had. You've also become much more accomodating of your parents lately. A few days ago it dawned on me that it's been quite awhile since you pitched a fit in the carseat! Like several weeks! And we don't even have to time our trips for when you're awake and in a good mood anymore...you'll even fall asleep in the car without any help now and nap for as long as you need to. It's given us a great new sense of freedom, and it means that I no longer break out into a cold sweat as I approach red traffic lights!

Another example of your newly accomodating nature: you let me go to my first concert since before you were born! As you'll find out soon enough, your mommy is a big fan of live music and used to go to shows all the time. I even used to write live music columns for a couple of different websites (these "columns" were really more like blogs, but before there was such a thing). Well, Jason Lytle, the singer of the now-defunct band Grandaddy (one of my absolute favorites of all time), played a show on a Monday night at Cafe du Nord in San Francisco earlier this month and I reeeeeeally wanted to go. Troy and Robert were nice enough to let us stay at their place and daddy stayed there with you while I went out for some live music - just like old times! I was worried about it, but you did just fine! You slept the whole time in the Moby wrap on daddy and probably didn't even realize I took off for a few hours. Then you slept like an angel in your pack-n-play and didn't wake up any more often than you do in your normal bed at home (it was the first time you had slept in it, so we were also worried about how that would go). It was so much fun, and made me feel a bit like my old self hasn't been lost completely. Then in the morning we woke up early, drove back home and dropped daddy off at work on our way!

You have also officially discovered your voice! You love to squeal and screech at the top of your lungs when you're in a happy mood, which is most of the time. It gets a good laugh out of everyone who happens to be around, and I call you "my little screecher-creature" when you do it. It's adorable of course, although if our ears are a little too close to your face it can also be somewhat painful! You say a couple of things that sound a bit like the words "mom" and "ham" too, but we know it's really just a coincidence. Even so, I always try to reinforce "mom" when it comes out! You started blowing raspberries as well in the last few days, which is super adorable. Also among your recent discoveries: your legs and feet! I watched you find them, and am so grateful that I get to spend so much time with you so that I can witness you making these discoveries. You were wearing little footed pants with jungle animals printed on them. All of a sudden while you were looking in the direction of your knees and feet, your eyes got really big and you started trying to pick the little animals off your knees! Then for the rest of the day you kept staring at your wiggling toes when you were sitting in my lap. Soon enough they will be your favorite things to munch on, I'm certain.

Mommy and daddy both wanted to do some work in the yard and garden last weekend and since you love to stand on your strong little legs, can now hold your head up with no issues whatsoever and love reaching for things, we thought you might like to try out the stationary entertainer that Shenoa and Erica gave you. I thought you'd still be too little, but the lowest setting was the perfect size. So many toys and fun things to look at, all within grabbing distance. You loved it, as evidenced by the following photos:





We've been getting a lot of use out of it since then. Now you can be busy playing right there in the kitchen with me while I cook dinner. It's nice not to have to put you in the Beco carrier every time I need both hands free. Of course you love the Beco, but I get really nervous doing anything that involves sharp knives or hot stoves while I've got you in it so close to the action.

Speaking of the carrier, I wanted to share the little game you invented (you clever girl)! When we're out and about and you're riding along in the Beco, you like to stare up at me until I notice you looking and look back down at you. You find this hilarious, and giggle up a storm! So on we go...I pretend not to notice you looking at me, and then look down at you all of a sudden and say "HI!", and you laugh your cute little laugh. It's great fun for both of us, and we are looking forward to all of the other fun games we'll be playing with you over the years.

Well it's late (and so is this post...by yet another week) and you'll be waking up for your midnight feeding soon, so off to bed I go. I love you, my sweet little one!

Love,
Mommy